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My lucky seven answers

OK, I’ve found something that I dislike about Minute Maid Park: mosquitos. Ugh. Still a great place for a game, but I always leave Houston with my share of bites. Anyway, here are my answers to this week’s Lucky Seven questions.

1. I’d put him in the rotation. As some of you have said, it’s easier to find a quality reliever than a quality starter. If for whatever reason it doesn’t work, you can always move him back.

2. I know Belliard hasn’t been as good as people would have hoped, but I think he’s a better option at second base. I’d give Miles the occasional start when there’s a good matchup, but I think this team’s best configuration includes Ronnie Belliard doing what he’s capable of doing.

3. I like Flores quite a bit, so he’d be my guy there. But I think they should be willing to use Hancock against LHH in certain situations.

4. On Thursday, I would have said Monday. Now, I’ll say Tuesday with Carpenter on the mound.

5. This is kind of a trick question, because I firmly believe that you just can’t predict how a 5- or 7-game series will turn out. With that said, I think the Cardinals will win at least one round if they are the home team for the Div. Series. And I actually think if they faced the Mets in the LCS, they’d give them a good fight.

6. Much easier call now than two days ago obviously, but I would have said Europe then too. And though I’m not a big golf guy, I greatly enjoy the Ryder Cup. It’s about as entertaining as golf on TV can get. Match play is fun stuff.

7. Ben & Jerry’s Mint and Oreo Cookie (or whatever they call it now that they aren’t actually Oreos in it anymore). If I get to include one topping, then the winner is Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche with hot fudge on top. Heavenly.

14 Comments

1) I believe it’ll be the right time to use him as a starter; we need a good one and he may be a key addition there.

2) You’re probably right, yet something about Belliard creeps me out. In my view, he comes off thuglike; his body language and overall look seem so wrong for a Cardinal.

When are we gonna get a good 2B that produces and will be with us more than a year? I miss Grudz.

3) I’m stumped.

4) Tues. sounds perfect to me with Carp pitching.

5) Sounds about right. They should get past the first round and can compete with the Mets.

6) Don’t know…I’m sort of in the George Carlin school of thought re: golf.

7) Oh man, I gotta tell you Mr. Leach, especially since you like Haagen Dazs’ Dulce de Leche, that they have one that even tops that. It’s Haagen Dazs “Caramel Cone”.

It’s the same caramel ice cream with caramel swirls and pieces of sugar cone dipped in a very high quality bittersweet dark chocolate. This stuff is totally insane.

BTW…We have a news/magazine store here in San Francisco called the “Fog City News” (on Market St.), which carries the largest variety of the highest quality chocolate from around the world, including our outstanding local products. The staff is trained as though they were discussing wine…nuances, varietal characteristics etc….a very hedonistic experience.

M – i gotta ask. What makes you like Minute Maid so much? is it simply the press room? is it the ambience? i’ve never been, so my disdain is, admitedly, very obtuse, but come on – a flag pole in center field? a HILL??? i guess i’m not a fan of gimmicks, but i’m open to being set straight. however, for the record, were it not for that stupid center field, John Rodriguez’s rocket shot in the ninth of game 4 would have won the game, making Albert’s heroics the next night even bigger than they were.

First, it is undeniably a great place to work. Hands down, the best place to work in the NL. Great location and view from the press box, easy access from outside, easy to get to and from the clubhouse. All of that. It’s basically the perfect setup for working.

But also, it’s just a nice ballpark. It’s a good place for a game. It looks nice, it feels nice. The fans are just insane, almost like football fans, and Cards-Astros games here always have a great atmosphere.

Frankly, I don’t even mind the dimensions. I like the fact that not every park is the same. I like that you have crazy offensive parks and crazy pitchers parks. But that’s just me.

If I were just going to sit somewhere and watch a game, this place wouldn’t be at the top of my list — that would be San Francisco, with Denver, Seattle, Fenway and Yankee Stadium all close behind. But it’s a very good place for a game, and a great place to work.

TLR was not snippy, didn’t bite anybody’s head off. He defended the team, praised the effort. Kept pointing to the fact that they kept coming back.

Before anyone jumps on him for denial, I don’t think it was that at all. I think it was looking at a tough loss, knowing that his team knows it was big, and doing what he could to back them needing a win tomorrow.

Boy………….I miss Izzy. I mean healthy, walk one, give up a base hit, strike out the side Izzy. Is it just me, or is it areally rare occasion when Tj or Flores actually get people out? It seems like all our lefties have followed Mulder into ineffectiveness.

What is up with STL? They are making me mad with the inability to win games…especially against Houston. I hope they miss the playoffs…so some changes are made. This is ridiculous. All that talent on the team and no one is producing.

Let the call ups play. The regular team can’t play, they’ll be knocked out the post season in 3 games anyway, if they even make it. This is worse than being a cub fan, at least they know by July it’s over every year, we don’t know until the last 2 weeks of Sept each year. It’s been 24 years since a world series win. Pretty sad with that payroll.

I forget, the Cardinals always seem to set new playoff loss marks. If that continues… Houston will tie on the last day of the season, then proceed to beat St. Louis in a 1 game playoff, and it will then be known as the only bigger comeback since the 2004 Red Sox. I spent over 2k watching them play from San Diego to Chicago this year, I won’t repeat that mistake again.

M – i appreciate the responses on minute maid, because, again, you have much more experience in ballparks. I agree with your point about different configurations, and I don’t mind short porches like the Crawford boxes or large walls like the Green Monster. That’s why I love Wrigley and Camden Yards. but I get tired of gimmicks – trying to by clever and different – and Tad’s (Tadd’s?) Hill and the flagpole smack of that. And that’s why I was impressed with the new Busch. It’s simple. Still, your points are well-taken, and next time I’m in Houston, I’ll check out a game.

As each day passes, it becomes more doubtful as to the Cardinal’s post season hopes. They are a team without a rudder and now only 3.5 games in the lead with 5 needed to clinch – STILL.

It should be abundantly clear to anyone who follows baseball that a managerial and coaching change is needed to motivate under performing players. General management needs to completely overhaul the pitching staff. They have only one quality starter (and it’s NOT Marquis).

A team that won 105 gaves 2 years ago and 100 last year has melted into mediocrity. LaRussa doesn’t usually fold until the post season. I guess he got an early start this year.

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